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Of the excessine Loue which our Lord Iesus shewed to man, by the Mirac'es which he wrought on earth.
THE excessiue loue of our Lord Iesus, was farre from being content, to expres∣se it selfe towards man, by any one single way alone; but it was solliciting him in eue∣ry minute of his most holy life, to try as ma∣ny as might be found for our good. He ther∣fore considering, with diuine wisedome, that men were composed of flesh and spirit; and
consequētly(a) 1.1 that they must be wrought v∣pō, aswell by sensible, as by spirituall meanes; & knowing also, that through the miserable disorder of their mindes, they were then more capable & would be more obliged, by ease & health of body, then by graces powred into the soule; he was therfore pleased to accom∣pany the purity and perfection of his Doctri∣ne with the power and Maiesty of his mira∣cles. And as, by creation of the world, he led men vp, by meanes of visible things, towards a knowledge, and beliefe of the inuisible; so in the case of our reparation, and redemptiō, he would also vse the corporall cure of men from sicknes, as a disposition, wherby theyr soules might be recouered from sinne.
Heerby our Lord doth euidently dis∣couer, to be a true & perfect louer of mankind. For as the property of loue, is not(b) 1.2 to be tyed vp within the compasse of any ordinary law; and the measure which that power v∣seth, is to exceed all measure; so did our Lord, out of the nobility of his loue to man, refuse to walke within so small a circle, as the lawes of nature did lead him to. These lawes of na∣ture were made by almighty God; at the crea∣tion of the world; & it is not al the power of heauen, or earth vnder him, which can in∣uert that order.* 1.3 Praeceptum posuit, & non praeteri∣bit. He gaue the precept, and it shall not passe away. And it was good cheape for him who made al things of nothing; to commaund that nothing should faile, of that inuiolable course wherin
all things were appointed to proceed.
According to the law of nature, no re∣turne is made from priuation, to the habit; as from a fixed blindnes, to sight; and much lesse from death, to life. But the law of the loue of our Lord IESVS, did ouertop that other law; made those things grow true and samiliar, which otherwise were not only hard, but im∣possible. Moyst bodies were appointed, by the law of nature to giue place, and such as are heauy, and solid to sinke downe below thē. But yet, when there was question of giuing comfort to his poore Apostles;* 1.4 the loue of Christ our Lord, made him lay those lawes a∣side; and he went walking towards them vpon the sea, which was glad to performe the Office of a pauement, to his pretious feete. Penerration of bodies, is a thing wherof nature cannot en∣dure to heare; but yet, for the vnspeakeable loue which he bare to(c) 1.5 the honour, and ex∣cellency of his all-immaculate mother (that ornament, and glorious gemme of heauen & earth) he was not affrayd to giue that princi∣ple of Philosophy the lye. And he passed out of those bowells of supreme Purity, into those armes of matchlesse Piety, without the least offence to her most entire Virginity. But yet in this, there is the lesse wonder because he wrought the like, in fauour of his Apostles; whom he loued by innumerable degrees, lesse then his most excellent mother.* 1.6 For in their case also, his loue was transcendent in the selfe same kind, vnto his lawes. For hauing first pas∣sed
through the sepulcher, he went afterward through,* 1.7 & through those doores which were shut betwene them, & him; that so he might, as it were, perfume them all at once, with his sweet breath of Peace.
But why doe I name those persons, who were so highly priuiledged; as if our Lord had only bene in loue with them; and not indeed (as yet indeed he was) enamoured of all man∣kind so farre, as to make his miracles, distill down vpon them, like so many drops of dew, for their reliefe, or comfort, in all occasions. And although these miracles of Christ our Lord, could not haue bene wrought, but by the omnipotent power of almighty God; yet may that power be accounted to haue been but as a kind of instrumēt wherby he wrought them; and that indeed, they flowed from his loue, as from their prime cause and roote.
He wrought no miracles for the osten∣tation of his power, and therfore we see, how often he precisely comaunded both men and de∣uills,* 1.8 that they should not publish what he had done. He wrought none, for any commodity of his owne; or for the reliefe of any corporall ne∣cessity, which he was and would be subiect to. For though the Foxes had holes, yet the Sonne of man had not where to lay his head. And one mor∣ning when he returned from Ierusalem to Be∣thania, he is said expresly to haue been h̄gry, and he refused in the(d) 1.9 wildernes to turne certaine stones into bread for the satisfaction of his owne extreme hungar. And his Apost∣les
were soe oppressed in this kind,* 1.10 as that they were defended by him, in gathering the eares of that corne, which belonged to others; yea and that, vpon a Sabaoth day, which did belong to God; & except their case had beene of precise necessity, they coued not so well haue bene excused in doing it.
But the whyle, though they fed them∣selues, Christ our Lord did not so; for if he had, those malicious Iewes (whose teeth were sharplier whet against him, then all the rest, (or rather not against them, at all, but only in regard that they belonged to him) would haue byn sure to haue bitten him vvith their reprehension. So great therfore was his necessity, and yet he would not stretch forth his arme of power to help himselfe, by any supernaturall meanes. Nor doe we find (as I was saying) that he who wrought such worlds of miracles for worlds of men, did serue him selfe of any one, to his owne aduantage.* 1.11 It is true, that he did miraculously enable S. Peter to take a peece of money out of the belly of a fish to be paid as tribute to the Prince, though he saith he was no way bound to doe it. So that(e) 1.12 he, who would not worke a miracle, for the sauing of his owne deere life, would yet be sure to doe it, for preuenting the scan∣dall of other men. And withall, that he might shew, how obedient men ought to be to theyr tēporall Princes, so that it be in things which indeed and truth, are only temporall.
He wrought no miracles, either by
way of preuention or for the deliuery of him∣selfe,* 1.13 from his most wicked enemies; sauing only, when, once or twice, he grew inuisi∣ble to their eyes, that so he might preserue himselfe for greater tormets afterwards. Whē once he came to his Passion, he told them in∣deed what he could haue obtained of God for his deliuerance,* 1.14 namely so many Legions of Angells. And he gaue them also a tast of what he was able to do for himself,* 1.15 (if he had been willing) by the miracle which then he wrought vpon Malchus.* 1.16 And by that other also of stryking thē who came to take him, with sad astonishemēt, to the ground, by the only saying of Ego sum. But he kept his miracles for the instruction, & ease of other men; and the only Miracle which he wrought for himselfe, was to make (by the omnipotent force, and power of loue) a God of infinite, and eternall Maiesty, to vndertake, for such wormes, such a vvorld of misery.
He vvrought no miracles for the win∣ning of fauour from great persons.* 1.17 Nor could the splendour of Herods fortune, nor the ex∣treme curiosity of his mind (because it vvas but curiosity) obtaine any one, at the hands of our Lord.* 1.18 He vvas not desirous, to win the affection and estimation, of his ovvne cō∣patriots. For though it cannot be said, but that he vvrought some miracles among them; yet those some, vvere so very fevv, (by reason of their incredulity) that in comparison of such as he vvas pleased to vvorke in other places, they may, in a manner, be accompted none. He
did not, a vvhit, depend vpon the acknovv∣ledgment, and seruice,* 1.19 which he might ex∣pect from such persons as he cured. For we see he was not discouraged, by the ingratitude of those Leapers, from whome he well knevv, that it was almost(f) 1.20 ten to one, that he should not haue so much as thanks, for his labour.
But the force, and fire of pure, and per∣fect loue alone it was, which moued that di∣uine hart of our Lord; to passe ouer the law of nature, by working of miracles, whensoeuer there were motiues, and meanes to doe good to men therby. Whilst himselfe, the while, who was the author of them all, would yet lye (as hath been said) vnder the same lawes of nature; so to worke the more easily vpō their soules, by the admirable example of his suffe∣rance, whose bodies he had restored by a mi∣raculous deliuerance.
Men being cō∣posed of flesh and spirit are to be wrought vpō both by spiri∣tuall and sensible meanes.
The measure of our loue of God is to exceed all measure.
Psal. 148.
Matt. 14.
The honour which was done by Christ our Lord to the pu∣rity of his B. Virgin mother.
Isa. 7.
Ioan. 20. Ibid.
Marc. 3. & 5. & 7. Luc. 5. & Luc. 4. Matth. 20. Matt. 21. & Marc. 11.
Matt. 4.
Matt. 12.
Matt. 17.
Our Lord would ra∣ther worke a miracle, then suffer the occa∣sion of any scan∣dall••
Luc. 4.
Matt. 25.
Ibid.
Ioan. 18.
Luc. 23.
Matt. 13. Marc. 6.
Luc. 17.
One of ten re∣turned to giue him thankes.